The Gong Kebyar is mostly used for modern compositions and to accompany dances. At temple festivals this orchestra may also playsthe Lelambatan music. This is a stately style of music, originally played by the - now nearly extinct - Gong Gede orchestra. Two registrations of a Gong Gede are on theVideos page. Lelambatan music by a Gong Kebyar are on theLelambatan page.

Semar Pegulingan

Semar Pegulingan orchestras are often higher in pitch than a Gong Kebyar. This one, the Mudraswara orchestra of Ubud, is a good example. For easy comparison with the Gong Kebyar, they, too, play Panyembrahma.

Bronze is an expensive material. If a village cannot afford a proper, bronze gamelan, bamboo is a way out. The keys of the instruments are made of bamboo. Even the gong is a large bamboo key over a large earthenware jar which acts as a resonator. The sound of a bamboo key fades fast, however. In order to prolong the sound, keys are struck several times in rapid succession. In this example, the Gamelan Udegan of Teges Kawan plays Sekar Gendot.

A very old type of orchestra is the Gamelan Selunding, found in the very traditional village of Tenganan, East Bali. This ensemble has no gongs at all and no reong. These functions are taken by instruments that have large iron plates, hung gender-wise over wooden resonating boxes. Kendangs are likewise absent. Here they play Rejang Gucek.

For use in temple ceremonies, there is the Gamelan Angklung. This orchestra has only four tones to the octave and is tuned to the slendro scale (as opposed to Gong and Semar Pegulingan, which are tuned to the pelog scale). In this recording, the musicians from Teges Kanginan play Galang Kangin.

All of the above types of orchestra consist mainly of instruments of the gender family (with keys over resonators) and gongs. But Bali also has the Suling orchestra, an ensemble made up almost entirely of flutes. They borrow their melodies from the Gong and Semar Pegulingan repertoire, giving them an entirely different atmosphere. Here the Ubud suling ensemble plays Legod Bawa.

The Genggong is the Balinese mouth harp. This is a strip of bamboo with a reed cut out. The player places the genggong between his teeth and by pulling sharply on a string, he makes the reed vibrate. By altering the shape of his mouth he can produce different tones. The Ubud suling ensemble now plays Tabuh Telu on genggong.